by Marvin R. Knight
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.” Proverbs 11:30
There are several questions that we can ask of this text by way of observation. Who are the righteous? What is the fruit of the righteous, why is it a tree of life, and what does the writer mean by this term? How does this fruit relate to winning souls and in what way is one wise to win souls? Before we answer these questions, let’s make some important observations:
- First, notice that the writer does not say, “He who wins souls is wise.” This would suggest that credit is due to a man’s account for winning souls. However, the Bible is clear that salvation is of the Lord and from the Lord; therefore, all glory for salvation belongs to the Lord (Jon.2:9; Acts 4:12; Ps.3:8). The way the writer expresses this truth in our text implies that the man who is walking in wisdom shall win souls, not necessarily by direct effort with the thought of reward in mind, but as the consequence or natural result of the influence of his character and life. It is not that soul winning leads to wisdom, but wisdom produces a life that leads to winning souls.
- Second, this verse combines righteousness and wisdom to tell us that those who obey the wisdom taught in God’s Word will become more skillful in handling the affairs of life. However, we must not think of wisdom as a set of rules or a collection of “success formulas” that one can occasionally apply as he pleases (Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, etc.). God’s Word must first work within our hearts and transform our character before we can become the kind of people God can guide and bless. You don’t need godly character to be rich or popular, but if you’re concerned with building a godly life, you must major on building godly character.
- Third, James practically explains the fruit of the righteous that Solomon speaks of in this verse (James 3:13-18). Wisdom leads to righteousness (Prov.8:20), and in the way of righteousness there is life (Prov.12:28). This life shows itself in what one says and does (James 3:13). He seeks to keep himself pure (undefiled), peaceable (with others), gentle (not harsh, critical, or pressing one’s own rights), reasonable (willing to submit to the suggestions of others), full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy (dependable, consistent, honest, and sincere). However, the wicked have hopes that lead to nothing (Prov.10:28). Therefore, it behooves us to examine our own hearts to make sure we are among the righteous who truly have hope and that we are the kind of people the Lord can trust with His blessings.
- Fourth, for the writer, winning souls means nothing less than winning the entire individual. To win a human being means winning him over to some point of view, to a certain resolution, and to make him take his stand on a certain side.
Lessons:
The souls of people have to be won, not hustled, not coerced, not threatened, or even manipulated. How are we to do this?
Scripture uses the word “win” to speak of warfare. Warriors and soldiers win cities, but to win a soul is more difficult than winning a city. However, the idea is that the soul winner has to sit down before a soul as a soldier to survey its walls, to map out his plan and to shore up his resources. A soldier must not advance too quickly or too slowly. He must identify areas where there are breaches in the soul and where he can use a ladder to scale its walls. He must know how to slay unbelief in the name of God and with the Word of God, in order to capture the soul and fling open its heart gate, so that the King of glory may come in. This is soul winning. It is difficult work that requires much wisdom. (Cf. 2 Cor.10:3-5)
Scripture also uses the word “win” to speak of lovemaking. This idea appears when we speak of the bridegroom who wins his bride. The weapons of our warfare are not always the same. Here, the weapon is love, which sometimes appears as a look, a soft word whispered, a tear, or even an ear eager to listen. All of these ingredients combine to speak of compassion. Spurgeon said, “Carve a preacher out of granite and even if you give him an angel’s tongue, he will convert nobody.” When we speak of storming the walls and wrestling for souls, these metaphors refer to our love for souls.
What is the wisdom that wins souls? It is not the wisdom of schools, but it’s the wisdom of the heart. It comes from experience and sympathetic insight. We may also render the Hebrew word for “win” as take. With this we may compare Christ’s promise to His disciples that by following Him they would “now…be catching men” (Luke 5:10). We only learn the art of “manfishing,” as Thomas Boston called it, by Divine teaching.
- The successful winner of souls must first have found the truth himself. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” The fruit of the righteous—that is to say, his life—is not something fastened to him, but it grows out of him. It’s the natural outgrowth of his nature; it’s not forced growth from religious excitements. The fruit in your life has the potential for becoming a tree to others.
- The successful winner of souls must be wise in the affairs of the heart. We do not gain this knowledge from books or by attending conferences on how to win friends and influence people. Rather, we find it in careful, patient, prayerful, and biblical examination of our own hearts.
- The successful winner of souls must have a passion for souls. He is willing to take them one by one. The gospel plan is that God will save people – not in masses, but individually. Speaking to crowds may be thrilling for some, but it is face-to-face, hand-to-hand work that reaches the heart. Christianity has always grown along the lines of personal soul winning. A wins B, B wins C, C wins D, and “…the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
- The successful winner of souls must be enthusiastic. In other words, we cannot do the task of soul winning lethargically. We cannot do it as cold duty. A military recruiter will gain no recruits with scientific facts. What fuels our enthusiasm is the depths to which a soul may fall, the heights to which it can rise, and the conviction of the responsibility placed on us to benefit souls by the One who deserves a thousand times more than I can repay. If my sin, my death, my unworthiness, along with His grace, His forgiveness, His redemption, and His glory do not move me to open my mouth and heart, then I must examine myself to discover who or what dwells in my heart.
- The successful winner of souls must rely less on his own wisdom and more on the wisdom of God. I have been surprised recently to learn of the number of baseball players who have their favorite glove. Some carry their glove with them on trips to avoid the possibility of losing it with their luggage. Why would a skilled, big-league player demand to use only one kind of glove? It is because when he puts his hand in it, there is a feeling as if he knows it and it knows him. It seems to respond to his hand and movements. Such is the case with our souls. When God places His hand upon us and we yield to every impression the Holy Spirit desires to convey, then He will use us more because we are sensitive to what He wants and when He wants it.